Washington countered Arizona’s back-breaking fumble recovery for a touchdown with a few big forced fumbles of their own to win on Sunday. It’s a Commanders’ victory that was not as clean as many had hoped for in our nation’s capital. Arizona – widely considered the worst team in pro football entering week 1 – put up a fight defensively with consistent pressure and solid tackling. There were times that the Commanders’ poor play seemed to doom them, but in the end, their higher-end talent on the roster was the difference.
Studs
Commanders DE Montez Sweat (90) – Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Montez Sweat Takeover
The Commanders have always had great defensive line play but lacked the standout dominant individual performances that flip games. With 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery on a separate play, and two tackles for loss, Sweat showcased that ability. In a contract year, Montez has begun about as well as he can. There’s an argument to be made that Sweat put Washington on his back to prevent a 0-1 start. His clear improvement so far is the range to contain and still make a play on the quarterback and/or ball carrier.
The Rest of The Defensive Line
Three sacks and seven tackles for loss along with the aforementioned two forced fumbles are a pretty good output from this team’s strongest unit. Jonathan Allen and Da’Ron Payne turned in another great performance that supported the defense’s great play.
Kam Curl is Everywhere
It is hard to imagine what this defense would look like without Curl. Seemingly every Arizona reception in the middle of the field was met immediately by Curl’s tackling. His three-level impact and elite communication are a pillar of Washington’s defense.
Duds
Antonio Gibson Fumbles Again
After a year hiatus, Antonio Gibson’s fumbling woes have returned. It’s the cherry on top that Gibson seemingly finds the worst times to fumble. Washington appeared to have all the momentum early in the game. The offense even seemed to move the ball well until Gibson’s fumble in the red zone. Just two years ago, Gibson fumbled inside Washington’s own ten yard line to gift the Chargers a week one game winning touchdown. There has slowly been less and less trust with him running between the tackles.
Logan Thomas Can’t Catch
Thomas has never been a good enough blocker to impact the game as a non-pass catcher. All preseason we heard about the rapport Sam Howell had with Thomas, yet Thomas let him down on Sunday. Three times a Howell pass that hit Thomas in both hands fell incomplete. These drops stalled promising drives in a couple cases. The Commanders’ offense is not a unit that can overcome such mistakes. This is especially the case with one of the teams most experienced players.
Offensive Line + Sam Howell’s Communication
Overall when the correct protections were in place, the offensive line performed well. But the issues at times with communication were still on display. This is how you end up with a peak and valley performance with a mix of good protection and immediate disaster. Howell’s tendency to bail early caused a negative play with a fumble but also created two touchdowns. The run game did not find a rhythm. It’s too early to determine the main problem here, but it is clear some adjustments need to be made going forward.
Other Notes
Sam Howell
Howell had a solid outing for his first meaningful start. The sack troubles did continue, and there was a disastrous fumble touchdown for the Arizona defense, but otherwise Howell was accurate and up to the task. The two-minute drill he ran following Arizona’s fumble touchdown is about as impressive of a drive as you’ll see from a young QB. Following the fumble to score before the half, Washington marched 69 yards in seven plays with one timeout in less than a minute.
Secondary
Although not its most challenging day, the secondary as a whole is earning its stripes. It was a good first day from rookie Emmanuel Forbes in coverage, as it was for the rest of the back five.
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